A matter of trust wearing thin in CASB's retention of Ellison

School board President Neil Campbell the other night defended the actions of the Coatesville Area School Board over the past months.

The latest row, which admittedly involves this newspaper’s quest for public information, is over the continued employment of solicitor James Ellison without saying how much the school board intended to pay him.

Campbell asks for trust. He asks for patience.

The actions of the board, however, do not call for trust or patience.

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The continued unwillingness of the Coatesville Area School Board to speak candidly and to take actions openly is a root cause of problems with the public.

There is also the circumstances surrounding the departures of former Superintendent Richard Como, former high school Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Donato, the investigation of the district by Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan, and the hiring of the law firm of Conrad O’Brien to handle internal investigations at $250 an hour involving all of the above.

Is that enough to cause concern?

Campbell Tuesday night asked the public to be patient with the board while it works on next year’s budget, continues labor negotiations, deliberates on future building needs of the district, and awaits the outcome of investigations by the district attorney.

The board president asks that everybody put their differences aside to work for the good of the students and management of the school district, that the issues will work themselves out in the end.

Whether intentional or not, and we hope the latter, the statement is a dodge.

What Campbell suggests is that we should not worry about such things.

This should not be the position to take for people concerned about students and the management of the district. The public should know what is going on. They have a right to know what their board is doing.

Tellingly, Campbell offered clearly an explanation to the mistrust by the public toward the activities of the board from his own life experience:

“Prior to serving on this board I too felt many times that the board was making the wrong decision on several topics and I was displeased with their votes. I too shook my head at times and voiced my opinion. Looking back I now realize how wrong I was for feeling that way. I did not know how a school district truly operated and I have learned a great deal over the past six years.”

Good. That means at some level Campbell knows the board needs to share information with the public.

Campbell must recognize the reasons the public is upset are the same reasons he said he ran for the board in the first place.

“Trust us” doesn’t cut it.

“Transparency” in government has become the new buzzword in recent years. There is nothing new age or new anything about the word.

The meaning is very old-fashioned. It involves openness. The board must be as open with the public it serves.

The Coatesville Area School Board is not.

This may involve unpleasant moments for board members. Moments that the board would rather skip. Such as payment to its controversial solicitor.

The board apparently decided it was not in anybody’s interest to disclose the hourly pay rate to Ellison. This became necessary because Ellison’s original contract with the board was through his former Harrisburg law firm, Rhoads & Sinon, at $180 an hour. Ellison and Rhoads & Sinon parted ways effective Dec. 31.

On Dec. 26, the board hired Ellison to perform legal matters. The fee for Ellison was not part of the public record.

Inquiries by the public and the Daily Local News for this information were ignored. The Daily Local News filed a freedom of information request Jan. 20.

The financial information — $200 an hour — was released Jan. 24. Other contract details were not released.

Comments on the matter were referred to Campbell. Several board members acknowledged they did not know the rate when they voted on the matter.

This is hardly an action by an elected body of government that inspires confidence by the public.

The board considered the matter among themselves in private — that is allowed — but ignored the right of the public to know details of the contract let alone comment on the matter before the vote was taken.

Several board members last Tuesday attempted to have the position of solicitor advertised to see what response they would get. After all, Ellison’s continued employment is on a temporary contract.

The request was denied by a tie vote.

Ellison supporters said it was not time to look for a new solicitor while the district’s business was already being handled. They also noted the criminal investigation into the district by the district attorney.

The request wasn’t unreasonable.

As noted by its president, the Coatesville board has many important decisions to make in the months ahead.

Campbell could have noted also that the board has the task of picking a new superintendent to manage the district.

The board president called for unity in the community for those difficult decisions ahead. Campbell and the entire Coatesville Area School Board must realize that it will not be possible without the full trust of the community they are supposed to serve.